The Sunday Junkie: March 8 Edition

“UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine” may end up being less remembered for the surprisingly competitive main event as it is for the controversy surrounding UFC interim champ Frank Mir’s knee.

With Lesnar vs. Mir moved from May to July, how will the delay affect the two competitors. Will Jackson fill in on short notice to fight Rashad Evans in May for the 205-pound title?

These questions, additional fall-out from UFC 96, the UFC’s need for rankings, women’s MMA and more were just a few of the topics discussed by MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) readers in our latest installment of “The Sunday Junkie.”

Check out all the submissions below, and to learn how to submit to next week’s edition of our reader-feedback feature, scroll to the bottom of the page.

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UFC 96 DELIVERS ANOTHER NIGHT OF GREAT FIGHTS

“UFC 96: Jackson vs. Jardine” delivered well on Saturday. To kick things off we were showed the much-anticipated fight between two rising contenders at lightweight — Gray Maynard vs. Jim Miller — which was an entertaining fight. However, once that bout was over the fireworks were just beginning. The MMA Nation was stunned when we saw what would surely be Matt Hamill’s most impressive highlight: “The Hammer” won his fight with one of the prettiest leg kicks seen in recent memory. Matt Brown’s dismantling of Pete Sell was short, but very entertaining. Shane Carwin now becomes a huge threat in the heavyweight division after taking out a very dangerous Gabriel Gonzaga. Despite the main event going to a decision, the fight was very good. There were some great exchanges that had both fighters wobbling. Although there were no title fights, the UFC delivers a top-notch night of fights yet again.

Andrew “vice” Walters

Coral Springs, Fla.

REFEREE YVES LAVIGNE OVERSHADOWS GREAT NIGHT OF FIGHTS

UFC 96 was undoubtedly a great night of fights with some excellent finishes. But did anyone else think referee Yves Lavigne turned in an absolute nightmare performance? I know there has been a bit of abuse directed toward other referees for stopping fights too early, but last night he seemed clueless as to his responsibilities. Lavigne essentially stopped the Brown vs. Sell fight and then restarted it much to Brown’s dismay. I understand refereeing in MMA is one of the most difficult jobs in the world and that you have to rely on your own instincts at times. Maybe I’m being too critical, but if I were Lavigne, I’d be feeling a bit disappointed today. Officials must focus on protecting the fighters at all times rather than worrying about what the audience may be thinking.

“Dr058″

Ayrshire, Scotland

MATT BROWN STAR IN THE WAITING

My pick for most improved fighter of 2008 was Matt Brown. Saturday night Matt Brown continued to bring obvious improvement when he demolished Pete Sell at UFC 96 with an impressive display of his improved Muay-Thai skills. Over his last few fights, Brown has shown a new glimmer of MMA stardom with a semi-mastery of new and defined skills in several areas. By the end of 2009 or the beginning 2010 — barring no setbacks — look for Brown to be in the picture for 170-pound title contender talk.

“ragefightingwear”

WITH BOSSES LIKE THIS, WHO NEEDS FRIENDS?

God bless Dana White, for without him, none of this would be possible. But White called to the table by fans and media for putting a Quinton Jackson vs. Keith Jardine main event where only one fighter had a reason to win. And how did White respond when asked about his UFC 96 choice? By telling the world that if he said fight, best friends would fight. White put both Jardine and Rashad Evans in an uncomfortable an unfair position. Perhaps it’s time for “The Puppetmaster” to cut the strings and realize some matchups just shouldn’t – and can’t – be made.

“Can’t we all just get along?”

Las Vegas, NV

UFC MAKES POOR DECISION IN REACTION TO FRANK MIR’S INJURY

I, for one, am very disappointed that Frank Mir will not be able to fight at UFC 98. Not because this fight is being moved back, but because Brock Lesnar should be fighting more often. For a fighter with only four career fights, an extra three months off — making it almost nine months between fights — will have an obvious effect on his readiness come July. Cage rust affects all fighters, especially new ones. If the delay will benefit anyone, it will benefit Mir to face a Lesnar who hasn’t fought in almost a year. While most heavyweights already have scheduled bouts, that has never stopped the UFC from changing things up. I would rather see a heavyweight defend his title constantly than to wait for a “required” rematch.

“Jack”

Vancouver. B.C.

THE YEAR OF THE DRAGON IS UPON US

I’m not sure what to make of Frank Mir’s injury. Seems like he may have held the UFC hostage a bit with his knee surgery situation. The “Cloak & Dagger” routine over the last few days has certainly seemed a bit much. But the UFC had to do what it had to do – sort of. Congratulations to Quinton “Rampage” Jackson and his win over Keith Jardine. But marketability aside, Lyoto Machida is the next logical contender. With Jackson uncertain for a May return, please UFC, quit “Dragon” your feet on this fight and give Machida his due.

“Andy”

Dallas, Texas

WINNING ISN’T THE ONLY THING

A number of talented athletes have been cut from the UFC in recent weeks, and now Kendall Grove — who won the middleweight tournament on “The Ultimate Fighter 3″ is possibly on the chopping block. It’s not just good enough to win in the UFC, you have to be a standout. And with the rise of the UFC globally, the organization can afford to be picky. Only three years ago a fighter could have three boring wins and not be in trouble of getting the axe, especially in the heavyweight division. But with the talent pool becoming increasingly deep, new fighters coming in have to make a splash or they’ll never get the chance to shine. This is good for fans because it helps to keep things exciting, but it adds immense pressure for athletes. Don’t just win, win well — or you’ll be sent to some B-rate bar fight show in the Midwest where nobody knows your name. Cheers.

“Kam300″

Barrie, Canada

UFC SMART TO AVOID WOMEN’S MMA — FOR NOW

I originally thought that by not promoting women’s MMA the UFC would be left behind when the division finally gained popularity and was widely accepted. Then it hit me: There are still plenty of mistakes to be made in women’s MMA. By not getting involved, the UFC avoids problems similar to their early days. We have yet to see how the public and politicians will react to seeing a woman convulsing from a knockout, breaking limbs in some gruesome manner, or a doctor stopping a fight because her skull is visible after a series of elbows on the ground. Backlash from strong negative public reaction to any of the scenarios could be enough to bankrupt a small promotion and hurt the sport. Good move by the UFC. Let other promotions work out the kinks and make the mistakes, only then getting involved if it’s profitable and fans and public aren’t completely disgusted.

Augustus Griffith

Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

GIRLS PLAY, TOO

WAMMA. Sure it’s somehow become fashionable to bash the group because, hey, it’s not the UFC, so it must be wrong. But love them or hate them, WAMMA released the first-ever nationally recognized women’s rankings this past week. Any discussion of rankings will always bring a bit of debate, and WAMMA’s are not without flaws. But it’s a beginning. Women can finally prove where they stand in the world, and promoters can finally have a reason to put fights together. Previous female fights always seemed to have a random feel to the matchmaking process. Now perhaps that will change. Go, WAMMA.

“Dave”

Tulsa, Okla.

WHERE ARE THE UFC’S OFFICIAL RANKINGS?

Maybe this sounds a bit cliché, but bear with me. UFC President Dana White announced last year that the UFC is working on an official ranking structure. That’s good news because they need it. It’s growing old that a fighter gets a quick title shot just because he called out the champ or has his fights “silver plattered” because he was a “TUF” winner. Perhaps the fighter is going to bring top dollar to the event through live gate, ticket sales, pay-per-views etc. But to a true MMA fan, we just want to see the best and most-deserving fights. The day the ranking structures are put in place, they should be enforced appropriately so that the right fighters are getting the right fights. No more hand-outs.

Brandon Patterson

MINOTAURO IS LOSING SOME OF HIS BULL

The first thing that comes to mind when you hear that Antonio Rodirgo Nogeuira and Randy Couture will possibly be battling it out at UFC 101 is, “Wow, that is going to be an amazing fight.” But deep down, I think age is starting to catch up with “Minotauro.” In his last fight, Frank Mir’s improved boxing dominated Nogueira en route to handing him his first career TKO loss. After watching that fight, it was obvious what Nogueira’s next move should be: Couture. The fans want to see that fight, and we want to see how Nogueira does against a top-10 fighter. After getting knocked down by Herring, Sylvia and now Mir, how much more punishment can Nogueira still take? “Big Nog” is at a crossroads right now. If he loses to Couture, he is essentially done. And if he wins, can he still hang with the likes of Lesnar and Mir? Only time will tell.

Carl Jalsevac

Ontario, Canada

URIJAH FABER SHOULD HAVE TO EARN A TITLE SHOT

After Mike Brown’s devastating win over Leonard Garcia at WEC 39, many observers have been pushing for a rematch between Brown and former champ Urijah Faber. I simply don’t think Faber has earned a rematch. In the first fight, Brown destroyed Faber. There are other, more deserving fighters in the WEC featherweight division that should get a shot before Faber. One is Wagnney Fabiano, who made his WEC debut at WEC 37 with a win over Akitoshi Tamura, the former Shooto lightweight champion. However, Fabiano is booked to fight at WEC 40 and is not the most deserving of a title shot. The most deserving fighter is Jose Aldo, who has rattled of four-straight wins in the WEC, with his last two at back-to-back events. Both of these fighters deserve to get a shot before Faber, who has won just one fight since losing his title, and that was over a fighter on a two-fight losing streak.

Simon “Castellammarese” Stevenson

Widnes, England, U.K.

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